羟基磷灰石/碳纳米管复合材料的制备及其细胞毒性研究

利用原位合成法制备出羟基磷灰石/碳纳米管复合材料,采用XRD、TEM对其成分及结构进行了表征;采用MTT法和细胞形态分析研究了该复合材料对L-929细胞增殖活性的影响及细胞毒性反应,从而对其进行初步的生物相容性评价。结果表明,复合材料由羟基磷灰石和碳纳米管两相构成,纳米级的短棒状羟基磷灰石均匀吸附在碳纳米管表面,与之形成较强的界面结合;不同浓度的复合材料浸提液在不同时间点培养的细胞均正常增殖,其细胞毒性均在1级以下,符合国家医用生物材料的细胞毒性要求。     

Inhibition of hIAPP Amyloid Aggregation and Pancreatic β‐Cell Toxicity by OH‐Terminated PAMAM Dendrimer

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP, or amylin) forms amyloid deposits in the islets of Langerhans, a phenomenon that is associated with type‐2 diabetes impacting millions of people worldwide. Accordingly, strategies against hIAPP aggregation are essential for the prevention and eventual treatment of the disease. Here, it is shown that generation‐3 OH‐terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimer, a polymeric nanoparticle, can effectively halt the aggregation of hIAPP and shut down hIAPP toxicity in pancreatic MIN6 and NIT‐1 cells as well as in mouse islets. This finding is supported by high‐throughput dynamic light scattering experiment and thioflavin T assay, where the rapid evolution of hIAPP nucleation and elongation processes is halted by the addition of the dendrimer up to 8 h. Discrete molecular dynamics simulations further reveal that hIAPP residues bound strongly with the dendrimer near the c‐terminal portion of the peptide, where the amyloidogenic sequence (residues 22–29) locates. Furthermore, simulations of hIAPP dimerization reveal that binding with the dendrimer significantly reduces formation of interpeptide contacts and hydrogen bonds, thereby prohibiting peptide self‐association and amyloidosis. This study points to a promising nanomedicinal strategy for combating type‐2 diabetes and may have broader implications for targeting neurological disorders whose distinct hallmark is also amyloid fibrillation.     

近红外荧光磁性复合载药脂质体的制备及应用

拟建立以近红外荧光磁性复合脂质体(NFMSLs)为模型药物载体、盐酸多柔比星(DOX)为包封药物的药物输送系统,研究了近红外荧光磁性载药复合脂质体(DOX-NFMSLs)的制备、性质及初步应用。采用共沉淀法制备Fe3O4磁流体,CdTe掺杂Se制备近红外量子点CdSeTe,薄膜分散法制备DOX-NFMSLs。用DOX荧光分光光度法测定DOX-NFMSLs的包封率和体外药物释放率;用DOX-NFMSLs与HepG2肝癌细胞共孵育来进行细胞成像和细胞毒性实验。结果表明,近红外CdSeTe量子点粒径约为5nm,闪锌矿结构,发射波长824nm。磷脂与胆固醇质量比为8∶1,药脂比为1∶20的DOX-NFMSLs平均粒径为252.9nm,Zeta电位为-48.6mV,理想释放药物温度为41℃,平均包封率为(74.84±0.89)%。DOX-NFMSLs对HepG2肝癌细胞有一定的抗癌效果。得到了具有良好磁响应、释药温度T=41℃、可近红外成像的载药脂质体。     

Glioblastoma Extracellular Vesicle-Specific Peptides Inhibit EV-Induced Neuronal Cytotoxicity

WHO Grade 4 IDH-wild type astrocytoma (GBM) is the deadliest brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Meningioma (MMA) is a more common “benign” central nervous system tumor but with significant recurrence rates. There is an urgent need for brain tumor biomarkers for early diagnosis and effective treatment options. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny membrane-enclosed vesicles that play essential functions in cell-to-cell communications among tumor cells. We aimed to identify epitopes of brain tumor EVs by phage peptide libraries. EVs from GBM plasma, MMA plasma, or brain tumor cell lines were used to screen phage-displayed random peptide libraries to identify high-affinity peptides. We purified EVs from three GBM plasma pools (23 patients), one MMA pool (10 patients), and four brain tumor cell lines. We identified a total of 21 high-affinity phage peptides (12 unique) specific to brain tumor EVs. The peptides shared high sequence homologies among those selected by the same EVs. Dose–response ELISA demonstrated that phage peptides were specific to brain tumor EVs compared to controls. Peptide affinity purification identified unique brain tumor EV subpopulations. Significantly, GBM EV peptides inhibit brain tumor EV-induced complement-dependent cytotoxicity (necrosis) in neurons. We conclude that phage display technology could identify specific peptides to isolate and characterize tumor EVs.     

Identification of Multiple Domains of Entamoeba histolytica Intermediate Subunit Lectin-1 with Hemolytic and Cytotoxic Activities

Galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-inhibitable lectin of Entamoeba histolytica have roles in the pathogenicity of intestinal amoebiasis. Igl1, the intermediate subunit lectin-1 of E. histolytica, has been shown to have both hemolytic and cytotoxic activities that reside in the C-terminus of the protein. To identify the amino acid regions responsible for these activities, recombinant proteins were prepared and used in hemolytic and cytotoxic assays. The results revealed that Igl1 has multiple domains with hemolytic and cytotoxic activities and that amino acids 787-846, 968-1028 and 1029-1088 are involved in these activities. The hemolytic activities of the fragments were partly inhibited by mannose, galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine, and glucose showed lower or negligible inhibitory effects for the activities. This is the first report of a protozoan protein with hemolytic and cytotoxic activities in multiple domains.     

Studies of Mercaptosuccinic Acid-Crosslinked Chitosan Hydrogel with Grafted Cinnamaldehyde and Silver Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Biomedical Application

For the effective clinical antibacterial application of biomaterials, such as for wound management and tissue repair, the biomaterials need to show proper antibacterial capability as well as non-cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the material needs to have suitable mechanical characteristics for further medical use. Chitosan hydrogel is a potential candidate for various antibacterial biomedical applications due to its amine functionalities that lead to antimicrobial characteristics. Nevertheless, its antimicrobial capability is dependent upon the degree of protonation of amine groups caused by the pH value. Moreover, its mechanical compressive strength may not be high enough for clinical use if not chemically or physically crosslinked. This study utilized a novel chemical crosslinker, mercaptosuccinic acid, to improve its mechanical characteristics. The natural antibacterial agent, cinnamaldehyde, was grafted onto the crosslinked chitosan to improve its antimicrobial capability. Meanwhile, to take advantage of the thiol functionality in the mercaptosuccinic acid, the bactericidal silver nanoparticles were incorporated through silver-thiol covalent bounding. NMR analyses indicated the chitosan was successfully mercaptosuccinic acid-crosslinked and grafted with cinnamaldehyde at different ratios. Combined the results from the mechanical assessment, swelling experiments, antimicrobial assessment, and cytotoxicity assay, the chitosan hydrogel with the highest crosslinked degree and grafted with cinnamaldehyde and silver nanoparticles is of great promise for further clinical uses.     

不同饮用水处理工艺中消毒副产物的生成潜能

对取自饮用水处理过程中的水样分别进行氯消毒和氯胺消毒,分析不同饮用水处理工艺对7类18种消毒副产物(DBPs)生成潜能的影响,测定的DBPs包括含碳DBPs[三卤甲烷(THMs)、卤乙酸(HAAs)、卤代酮(HKs)、三氯乙醛(CH)]和含氮DBPs[卤乙腈(HANs)、三氯硝基甲烷(TCNM)、总亚硝胺(TONO)]。结果表明,混凝、沉淀和过滤工艺均能有效降低卤代DBPs的生成潜能,活性炭吸附反而会增大TONO的生成潜能。混凝和砂滤工艺对去除含碳DBPs前体物更有效,氧化处理工艺则更有利于含氮DBPs前体物的去除。细胞毒性主要来源于HANs和HAAs,且其变化趋势大致与HANs和HAAs生成潜能一致。水中Br^-浓度的增加会显著增大溴代DBPs的生成潜能,并使细胞毒性大幅升高。     

Therapeutic Effects of Saponins for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer by Ameliorating Inflammation and Angiogenesis and Inducing Antioxidant and Apoptotic Effects in Human Cells

Saponins are natural compounds found in plants and have a diverse range of applications. However, the therapeutic potential of saponins in regulating cytotoxicity, angiogenesis, and inflammation in mammalian cells is yet to be explored. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effects of saponins from green tea by exploring the cytotoxic effects of saponins by inducing apoptosis in the human cancer cell lines hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT29). The anti-angiogenesis effect of saponins was also investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We explored the ability of saponins to attenuate inflammation in a dose-dependent manner in normal human cells. It was found that saponins exhibit cytotoxic effects in cancer cells and not in normal cells at the same concentration. Cytotoxicity was measured by inducing apoptosis by enhancing caspase-3 (cas-3) activation and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (BAX) gene expression and suppressing the antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-2. The inhibition of HUVEC proliferation was due to the suppression of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). We also observed the antioxidant potential of green tea-derived saponins against free radicals in reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced cells. Here we observed that the saponins exhibited free radical scavenging activities and activated nuclear factorerythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF-2) leading to the upregulation of antioxidant-related genes in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory effects were due to the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in HEK293 cells. The significance of the work is we are the first to report on the anti-cancer effects of saponins based on the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-angiogenesis, and apoptosis induction properties. In conclusion, green tea-derived saponins could be effective therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.     

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Amygdalus scoparia Spach stem bark extract and their applications as an alternative antimicrobial,anticancer, and anti-diabetic agent

For the first time in this study, Zinc oxide nanoparticles were biosynthesized by the eco-friendly and cost-effective procedure using Amygdalus scoparia stem bark extract then used as antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and anti-diabetic agents. The characterization techniques confirmed the biosynthesis, crystalline nature, structure, size, elemental composition of ZnO NPs and bioactive compounds that exist in A. scoparia extract accounting for Zn²⁺ ion reduction, capping and stabilization of ZnO NPs. The ZnO NPs displayed remarkable inhibitory activity against E. coli, E. aerigenes, S. aureus, P. oryzae, F. thapsinum, and F. semitectum compared to antibiotic standards. The ZnO NPs showed significant inhibitory effects on cancer cell lines, while it had no toxic effect on Vero normal cell line. The ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg)-treated diabetic rats showed significantly higher levels of insulin and lower AST, ALT and blood glucose compared with the STZ induced diabetic group and other treated groups (P < 0.05). The ZnO NPs- and extract-treated rats showed significantly higher levels of IR, GluT2, and GCK expression and lower TNFα expression compared with the STZ induced diabetic rats. Our findings showed that ZnO NPs represented an outstanding performance for biological applications.